Manufacturer: Character Options
RRP: £14.99
Release Date: June 2016
Reviewed by: Doctor Who Online
Review Posted: 19th May 2016
At the end of Season 10 of Doctor Who (which seems so long ago now), to ease the pain of Clara’s departure we were treated to a brand new sonic screwdriver with a completely revamped look, and at last the 12th Doctor got his very own model - and what a model it is!
When we visited Toy Fair back in January of this year, there was next to no Doctor Who merchandise whatsoever - for the first time since the show returned to our screens in 2005. At the event, we had our annual chat with Character Options who said that things should fire up again for the second half of the year, kicking off with the brand new Sonic Screwdriver.
Here we are in May, and we are lucky to be among the first to review the new toy, ahead of its official release date at the start of June.
Starting off with the packaging, it comes in the familiar cylindrical plastic tube and looks quite striking against the blue and orange visuals. The blue of the new sonic really stands out whilst the silver paintwork seems to catch the light more than previous models, again making it jump out at you.
Once out of the packing, it’s clear that Character Options are going more down the replica route this time around. Gone are the legal text and copyright statements - instead, these are housed inside the sonic with a twist and pull motion.
There’s a good weight to it and the hand hold feels natural. The wheeled thumb grip looks and feels great to the touch with a simple push / pull motion, whilst the palm grip, although slightly bulky from an aesthetic point of view, actually sits really well in your hand.
The very bottom of the sonic protrudes out a little, but this is explained on-screen as it's a plug-in point for the TARDIS console.
As for features, for the very first time in a sonic, we have both blue and green light modes with 4 different light FX and sound FX modes. Pushing up once will give you the static green light mode, with familiar baseline sound FX. Pushing down once will give you the static blue light mode with the familiar upper baseline sound FX.
However, the best modes (in our opinion) are when you push up or pull down twice on the wheel; pushing up twice will give you a throbbing green light mode with a tracking bell type sound FX. Pushing down twice will give you a rotating blue light mode with whirring sound FX.
It’s very hard to find fault with the sonic - it looks stunning and it’s nice how the blue paintwork ties in with the TARDIS colouring, whilst the light section at the top reflects the TARDIS’ time rotor.
For the very reasonable £14.99 RRP, not only do you get a durable, feature-packed toy, but now, thanks to Character Options' continued efforts to listen to the fans, you have a loyal replica!
+ PREORDER The 12th Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver from Character Options for £14.99!
